BILLINGS, Mont. –The Montana State University Billings Men's Basketball will hit the road to take on Simon Fraser University and Nationally Ranked Western Washington University.

MSUB split games last week defeating the University of Alaska-Anchorage 75-67, but then dropped a tough game against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks 79-70.

In those two games, Austin Hudson scored 35 points and Kalob Hatcher scored 32 points while dishing out 15 assists. Hudson made 12 of 18 shots, while Hatcher converted on nine of 16 shots. Devon Wallace led MSUB in both rebounds (12) and steals (6).

WWU and SFU played each other in both of the team's only contest last week. WWU won 82-69. The Vikings were led by two players who each registered double-double. Austin Bragg had a career night scoring a career-high 30 points, career-high 17 rebounds and Anye Turner set a new career high as well scoring 22 points and gathered in 15 rebounds. Taylor Dunn scored 18 points and Ibrahim Appiah had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Clan in the loss.

The Jackets (7-7, 3-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) currently sit in seventh place in the conference. They are seventh in the league in scoring averaging 73.2 points per game. MSUB has the third ranked scoring defense allowing opponents to score an average of 71.1 points per game.

MSUB is second in the conference in field goal percentage defense allowing opponents to shoot 43.9 percent as well as second in three point field goal percentage defense holding opponents to 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Jonathan Mesghna leads the Yellowjackets in points per game with 13.7 and rebounds per game with 6.3. Hatcher leads the conference in assists per game averaging 6.6 as well as averaging 11.6 points per game. Hudson also averages 11.6 points per game while pulling down 5.1 rebounds. He also leads the team and is second in the GNAC in field goal percentage hitting on 67.8 percent of his shots. Connor Donaldson is the other Jacket averaging double figures per game, 11.1 points per game and 3.5 rebounds.

"This is another big weekend on the road for our team," head coach Jamie Stevens said. "We did some good things last week and we will need to build on those this week."

SFU (7-6, 0-5 GNAC) has four players averaging double figures in scoring. They are led by Justin Cole who averages 13.1 points per game. Taylor Dunn averages 12.6 points per game, preseason all-conference selection, David Gebru, is averaging 11.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds.

The Clan ranks fifth in the GNAC for scoring average per game, 7.8 points per game, but are ninth in the league in scoring defense giving up and average of 77.6 points per game. SFU is currently last in the GNAC sitting in 10th place.

"Simon Fraser is a very talented team" Stevens said. "They have struggled early in the GNAC but they are very capable of getting it going. We will have to play very well to win at their gym."

WWU (10-3, 4-1 GNAC) was ranked 19th this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll. They are currently first in the conference and will be looking to extend a school-record 36-game home court winning streak. Their lone GNAC loss is a 65-61 defeat at the hands of UAF.

WWU leads NCAA II nationally in blocked shots per game at 6.7. The Vikings are 11th in scoring offense at 89.8 and 14th in 3-point field-goal percentage defense at 28.4. WWU leads the GNAC in scoring offense (89.8), 3-point percentage defense, field-goal percentage defense (42.3), blocks (6.7) and rebounding margin (6.8).

The Vikings are led by pre-season all GNAC selections Richard Woodworth and Austin Bragg.

Bragg is fifth in the GNAC in scoring averaging 17.7 points per game and leads the league in rebounding pulling down an average of 9.9. He ranks 15th nationally and is first in the GNAC in double-doubles (points and rebounds) with seven after leading the conference last year with eight. Bragg has recorded a double-double in three consecutive games and four of his last five.

Woodworth averages 17.1 points per game and leads the team in assists with 3.8. Turner is averaging 10.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and is shooting 58.1 percent floor.

WWU won the NCAA II national championship in 2012 and reached the national semifinals in 2013. The Vikings have won the last two regular-season GNAC titles, winning 33 of 36 conference games during that span. Last season they finished 17-1 in league play, the best record in GNAC history.

"Western is Western; they are very good, but most importantly, their kids know how to win and expect to win," Stevens said. "Playing them in Bellingham is a big task and we will have to play as well as we can to compete on their home court."

The game against SFU is on Thursday, Jan. 16th and is scheduled to begin at 7:00 P.M. PT (8:00 P.M. MT). Stats and live video can be found at http://athletics.sfu.ca/index.aspx .

The game against WWU is on Saturday, Jan. 18th and is scheduled to being at 7:00 P.M. PT (8:00 P.M. MT). Stats and live video can be found at http://www.wwuvikings.com/ .